Songs: an Initial Stylistic Assessment
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Article Selected Lyrics of Bontok’s “Antoway, Ayoweng, and Chag-Ay” Songs: An Initial Stylistic Assessment Jonnelle D. Fagsao Mountain Province State Polytechnic College, Bontoc, Mountain Province 2616, Philippines; [email protected] Received: 3 June 2019; Accepted: 24 July 2019; Published: 26 July 2019 Abstract: Most of the studies of Bontok songs in Bontoc, Mountain Province, Philippines have focused on the need to preserve an aspect of the “Ifuntok” (people of Bontoc) society, but the major aim of this paper first proposes an understanding of the Tokwifi’s “Antoway”, Bacwaden’s “Ayyoweng”, and Khensay’s “Chag-ay”, commonly regarded as songs of the Bontoks during wakes and funerals, taking into consideration its intrinsic potential on literary themes and musicality. This paper then organizes the framework of Prototype and Relevance Theory and applies it to the selected songs found in the three collections. It attempts to express how prototype and relevance theory can improve not only a thematic analysis of the selected songs, but also the extra-textual interpretations that can be drawn from them. In doing so, it adds to the contemporary thoughtful understanding of Bontok indigenous tradition, as they are deceptively eliminated of the impression of the past, recontextualized in today’s literature and music curriculum, and associated in contemporary free issues and concerns in the Bontok community. Keywords: antoway; ayyoweng; bontoc; mountain province; bontok; chag-ay; ifuntok songs; lufun; prototype theory and relevance theory 1. Introduction Does Bontoc, Mountain Province have her own songs which bears the stamp of the Bontoks’ cultural character? Do the Bontoks have indigenous songs, songs which when heard makes them feel that it is a component of their existence, belonging to their heart and soul, faithful in its revelation to their sentiments and ideals? To this question, undoubtedly, the answer would be: they have, in much the same way that they have language, customs, traditions, and natural aspirations. Bontoc, Mountain Province (see Figure1) is located in the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) mountain range in the Northern Philippines [1]. The municipality is endowed with a wealth of melodies solely by nature, by origin, and by affinity. Locally, it is abound with folk tunes that lie scattered throughout the verdant mountains and fields, as mentioned by a galaxy of musicians like Bacwaden and Khensay whose creative works delineate the green pastures of life around the municipality and, in their massive textual compositions written in a local vernacular, the different nuances of the Ifuntok sentiment. Today, one of the major tenets of the philology of the vernacular, as mentioned by [2], is its being text-centred, meaning; that the primary unit of analysis in the philological approach is the “text” which is crafted, bounded, internally cohesive, and coherently stretched discourse. The materials that are usually rendered in their textual forms are discursive forms, such as songs that are usually sung during wakes and funerals. The results are quite often experimental in nature, aside from the fact that their styles are drawn along Western frame of thought. J 2019, 2, 276–299; doi:10.3390/j2030020 www.mdpi.com/journal/j J 2019, 2 277 J 2019, 2 277 There are countless numbers of songs in the collections, and to give example of each kind wouldThere take too are longcountless a time. numbers Accordingly, of songs thisin the paper collect onlyions, centres and to ongive some example exclusive of each selected kind would songs fromtake the too collections long a time. of Accordingly, Tokwifi Group, this paper Bacwaden, only centres and Khensay on some exclusive from Bontoc, selected Mountain songs from Province. the collections of Tokwifi Group, Bacwaden, and Khensay from Bontoc, Mountain Province. The songs The songs are categorized, evaluated, and interpreted anchored in the theories of [3,4], as well as are categorized, evaluated, and interpreted anchored in the theories of [3,4], as well as textual textual analysis/rhetorical criticism and formal criticism/thematic analysis in order to draw out the analysis/rhetorical criticism and formal criticism/thematic analysis in order to draw out the study’s study’s main focus on stylistic features as well as their simple notations for purposes of determining main focus on stylistic features as well as their simple notations for purposes of determining their their suitability or entry point as classroom instructional materials in teaching literature and music in suitability or entry point as classroom instructional materials in teaching literature and music in today’stoday’s twenty-first twenty-first century century curriculum. curriculum. (a) Figure 1. Cont. J 2019, 2 278 J 2019, 2 278 (b) (c) FigureFigure 1. 1.(a ()a Map) Map of of the the Cordillera Cordillera AdministrativeAdministrative Region Region (CAR) (CAR) (Photo (Photo by by the the researcher, researcher, 10 10June June 20192019 (b )(b Map) Map of of Mountain Mountain Province Province as as part part of of the the Cordillera Cordillera Administrative Administrative Region. Region. (Drawing(Drawing credit to Mr.to VictorMr. Victor Ananayo, Ananayo, January January 2010). 2010). (c )(c Map) Map of of Bontoc Bontoc municipalitymunicipality in in Mountain Mountain Province Province (Drawing (Drawing creditcredit to to Ms. Ms. Jonah Jonah Gawidan, Gawidan, March March 2018).2018). J 2019, 2 279 1.1. Bontok Indigenous Songs A complete understanding of the part that Bontok indigenous songs play in a people’s literature requires a brief and general discussion of the literature as a whole. In examining the history of Bontok tribe’s literature in the Northern hinterland of the Philippines, there are local composers who have contributed unique lyrics acted as a solid mechanism offering hopefulness in miserable situations and also influence in helpless lives. Hence, some Bontok tribe’s songs become important constituents of mass media to transport the intended message to the audience, combined with the thought-provoking storyline. It is gratifying to note that the Bontok tribe can count a good number of highly regarded local composers whose songs were revived, polished, and in some cases modernized forgotten Western melodies. The Antoway, the Ayoweng, and the Chag-ay isnan Achug (Songs for the Dead) of the Bontoks made a mark of prominence in the arena of Bontok indigenous poetry and they are important part of indigenous writing that possessed sharp aesthetic sensibility. When considering that most songs are merely for entertainment, but there are potential associations, meanings, and crucial roles of communication in the society upon analyzing the lyrics intensely, as mentioned by [5], like roles in the culture of the Bontok tribe, in that it is through the song texts that the people are able to present their plights or sentiments without fear or favor. In consonance, [6] states that songs grant people of Bontoc, Mountain Province the opportunity to share their ingenious skill, and also use them as an avenue for the expression of their sentiments. Songs according to [7] serve as a therapy to emotional problems; thus, like in the Bontoc communities, the songs were composed based on such circumstances to be rendered during wakes and funerals. As cited in [6], there are four (4) important elements suggested that tend to influence the human response to grief inducement: (a) the significance of the mode of death, (b) the social meaning of death, (c) the relationship between the deceased and the survivors, and lastly (d) the nature of the support network that is available to the bereaved. In the culture of the Bontok tribe, every Bontok lineage members experience sequences of ceremonies from confinement all the way to death, which bind all locals both spiritually and culturally in their various groups. Subsequently, death cannot be disconnected from the existing, and also there is the conviction that, there is life after death, the Bontok tribe has established a structure of ceremonials to soothe the agony the mourning family feels, and also to establish a good bound for the deceased into the ethereal world of their ancestors. In support for the understanding of the word “tribe”, Saboy’s [8] explanation of the term is borrowed, as a result, he remarked: “Tribe” is understood as interchangeable with the terms “ethnolinguistic group” and “ethnic group”. I am aware of the colonial baggage that the word “tribe” bears and the notion of the philistine attached to it, notwithstanding the claim that contemporary anthropologists do not associate the term tribal society with anything negative. I also understood that “tribe” is quite problematic when one takes into account the general definition of the term by cultural anthropologists. (p. 60) Over the years, wake and funeral songs in every Bontok communities have gone through extreme modifications. These modifications have come around due to Western influences that made the Bontok indigenes to interlace their compositions with Western tunes contributed to the social development of their community. To date, the preference of Western adaptations run in the veins of many local music enthusiasts and they are noticeable in the Antoway (sing), Ayyoweng (melody), and Chag-ay isnan Achug (songs for the dead) books. As such, the Antoway songs that were collected from the Tokwifi (star) group; Bacwaden’s Ayoweng songs; and, Khensay’s Chag-ay isnan Achog, used a lot of stylistic features at different functions. Just like other songs from the neighboring tribes of Mountain Province, the Bontoks consider the ability of using varieties of stylistics in composing and presenting their songs as a mark of excellence in their vernacular language, as mentioned by [9]. Some of the songs were local translations liberally adapted from those of Western gospel songs. However, despite the format and formulaic verses, the songs reflect a different worldview while using slightly diverse tropes (figures of speech). J 2019, 2 280 The songs are rooted in the history, culture, and the traditions of the Ifuntoks.